Multiplicity
by displacedtexan
Summary: Kotoko has a secret. Is she two-timing Naoki or is the truth much more sinister? Takes place about two months after the end of Kotoko Volant. FOLLOWUP STORY: Fasten Your Seat Belts.
1. Chapter 1

A/N#1: I do not own Itazura na Kiss. Darn!

* * *

A/N#2: This story is set in my Kotoko Volant AU. If you have not already read that story, some characters and references may confuse you.

* * *

 _Brrriiiiiiinnnnng!_

"Mmph!" Kotoko's brain recognized her alarm clock but her body wouldn't move to turn it off. Correction. Her body _couldn't_ move to turn it off.

She shoved against her boyfriend's arm holding her down. "Naoki! Wake up! Let me turn off the alarm!"

She finally managed to give a hard enough shove to roll him to the other side of the bed. However, that also allowed her to prove true Newton's third law as she tumbled onto the floor on the opposite side. She rose to her knees and slapped the alarm quiet.

"Damn, Kotoko! Why is your alarm set for six in the morning? You don't have an early class today." Naoki sat up and rubbed his eyes.

She compressed her lips. "Well, I have plans, and the alarm wouldn't bother you if you had slept in your own room last night!"

"Oh yeah," he yawned. "I fell asleep studying again."

"Why are you bothered anyway? You're normally an early riser. You're like a slug today."

"Whose fault is that? Do you know that you toss and turn constantly?"

"Really?" Kotoko sat on the bed next to him and began undoing her braids. "Is that why I felt like I was in a straitjacket when I woke?"

He stretched his arms over his head. "It was purely in self-defense. I had to keep you from moving somehow."

"If it bothered you that much, you could have just walked down the hall to your own room!" She snapped the hair elastics onto her wrist and picked up her brush.

"Too much trouble," Naoki muttered as he leaned his head over and laid it heavily on her nearest shoulder.

"Ack! How am I supposed to get ready?" She scrambled out from under his weight and poked him with her finger. "Get out of my room, mister! Now!" She tugged him to his feet and pushed him towards the door.

"All right! All right!" He bent and picked up his books from the floor. "I don't think I like the way the roles have reversed in this relationship," he turned to complain as she shoved him out of the room. As the door slammed in his face he changed direction and saw his brother in the hall staring at him wide-eyed. He opened his mouth to explain then closed it immediately. Yuuki was just going to have to get used to it.

* * *

Kotoko was absently feeding herself lunch while she thumbed through kanji flash cards, studying for the upcoming test. Jinko and Satomi sat opposite her, talking quietly so as not to disturb her. Her only warning of impending attack was when their voices became silent. She looked up and saw them focused on something behind her. Before she could turn around, a hand landed on top of her head and a chin leaned heavily on her shoulders.

"Ko-to-ko!" he whispered. Satomi and Jinko started giggling. "Where did you go this morning?"

"I had an appointment, Naoki," she answered, shoving some rice in her mouth. "Oi!" she shouted around the food as he plucked the flashcards from her hand and sat in the chair next to her.

"Did Yoshida-san make these for you?" he asked, flipping through them.

"Yes, he did," she responded, reaching for them. "Give them back! My test is in two hours, and you promised to take me to the amusement park next Saturday if I make over 70. So cut this out!"

"You'll do fine." His eyes looked quickly to the right and left, then he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Rice on your face," he spoke in her ear. "What appointment?"

"I can't tell you yet," she answered evasively.

"A doctor's appointment, already?" Satomi leaned across the table with a leer. "And you haven't even been officially a couple for two months yet."

"Not that kind of appointment!" Kotoko shouted, flushing.

"Don't worry, Irie-kun," Jinko offered. "We'll get the secret out of her for you."

"No thanks," he laughed, holding the cards high above his head as Kotoko vainly stretched her arms. "I have other ways of making her talk."

"Well, better not do it here," Satomi hissed. "Kin-chan's coming this way!"

Hearing the stomp of the neanderthal's feet, Naoki sighed and handed Kotoko the cards. "I can't even tease you in public if he's around without a scene," he complained.

"Never mind," she wrinkled her nose at him. "I still like you best. Now go away and let me study."

"Nag, nag, nag," he grouched as he arose.

"Irie! What do you think you're doing?" Kinnosuke demanded.

"Hello, Ikezawa. I'm about to order lunch. Don't you think you should be on the other side of the counter?" He grinned at the cafeteria worker's discomfiture.

"You-!" Kinnosuke fumed and spun on his heel to return to work.

* * *

Kinnosuke didn't really mean to eavesdrop; he had been taking a shortcut through the grass and noticed a loose shoelace. As he was bent over behind a clump of bushes, he heard female laughter. His heart squeezed a little when he recognized the voices, and he used that as his excuse for remaining hidden.

"Kotoko, what was all that about at lunch?" asked Satomi.

"Yeah, why are you being so hush-hush about a meeting?" Jinko piped up.

"It's sort of a secret," Kotoko began, then she giggled once more. "I'd tell you now, but I'm meeting someone about a possible makeover and then I have tennis. Oops!" she caught sight of the school's clock, "I've got to run!"

"Hey!" Jinko shouted, "if you come across any good ones, send them our way!"

"Ha!" Kotoko called back. "Tomorrow at lunch—I promise!"

"Lunch, eh?" The gears and springs began moving in Kinnosuke's mind like a—well, not a well-oiled machine by any means. But he did remember an item that his old pal from high school had purchased in Akihabara. If he would let him borrow it, he could stop by on his way home after his second job this evening. He pulled out his cell phone. "Yo, Gintaro," he began.

* * *

"Hey, Irie-kun!" Matsumoto Yuuko waved as she interrupted Naoki's service practice.

"What's up, Matsumoto-san?" he asked as he bounced a ball off the clay.

"I saw your girlfriend," Matsumoto jerked her head in Kotoko's direction, where she was diligently picking up tennis balls, "with some other man last week."

"Really?" he asked with little interest. "Was it one of the Anime Club members?"

"Not likely. He was older, quite attractive, almost flashy." She laughed shortly. "That one was never an otaku. If there had been men like that in the Anime Club, I would have attended ComicCon in cosplay."

"That impressive, huh?" He looked straight into her eyes. "Kotoko has liked me for almost four years. I'm not concerned."

"Really? They were laughing together and hugging. Aren't you worried just a little bit?" Matsumoto raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Well, that's up to you. I must admit that _I_ wouldn't mind taking a second look at her _friend_."

"Maybe that's so, but she's different." He served an ace over the net. "By the way, where did you see them?"

* * *

"Tanaka-san! Do you have a minute?"

The young man with red-streaked hair turned from his conversation with two female classmates. "Hello, Irie-san. Certainly." He turned to the girls. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Naoki looked at them as they departed. "Friends of yours?" he asked politely.

"Well, one is a potential girlfriend," Tanaka beamed.

"Really? I thought you were dating one of Kotoko's friends from the festival."

"Oh, that's past history," he informed him. "What can I do for you?"

"Hmm. Well, I wonder if Kotoko has a new client right now. She missed class the other day. I don't want her to get behind due to her re-imaging activities."

"The only one I'm aware of is brand new," Tanaka answered. "Their initial meeting was yesterday. What makes you ask?"

"Oh," Naoki raised one hand to rub the back of his neck, "a…friend said that they saw her in Shibuya with some man last week and I thought that was what it was."

Tanaka's eyes slid to the side and sweat glistened on his upper lip. "I'm, uh, sure there's a good explanation. Why don't you just ask her?"

"I don't like Kotoko keeping secrets from me. Why isn't she talking to me about it?" he complained. "I'm her boyfriend."

"Uh, yes, well, got to go, I'll be late for class." He left at a dead run, something he wouldn't have been able to accomplish six months ago.

"Damn strange," said Naoki to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Kinnosuke appeared a little inattentive in the cafeteria the next day. His eyes shifted from the work counter to the entrance area. Once his target was sighted, he went into hyper motion.

"Kotoko! Kotoko!" He jumped and waved his arms wildly above his head.

The trio of girls stopped dead in their tracks. "What's got _him_ all wound up?" asked Jinko.

"Yeah," said Satomi. "You'd think Irie-kun's set-down the other day would have subdued him a little bit."

"Who knows? It's Kin-chan," was Kotoko's pragmatic conclusion.

Even before they could deposit their books at their usual table, Kinnosuke had rushed over, leaving behind a line of students at the counter. "Ladies! Ladies!" he panted. "No need to order today. I have a Kin-chan special feast just for you!"

"Really?" Kotoko's eyes brightened.

"If you made it yourself, it must be good," agreed Satomi.

"So where is it?" demanded Jinko.

"Coming right up!" he beamed. He cringed at a shout from the lunchroom manager then added, "Well, maybe not _right_ up. Just select your own drinks and I'll bring the food out shortly."

"I wonder what this is all about," muttered Satomi. "Is there some special occasion?"

"Hey, free food! I'm not bothered," Jinko declared.

The girls had just seated themselves at the table, Kotoko between her friends, when Kinnosuke arrived with a large tray of dishes.

"Here you go, ladies," he proclaimed with a wide grin. He set dishes of soup, rice, takoyaki, vegetables, grilled meats and pudding in front of each, saving Kotoko for the last.

"Wow!" Jinko exclaimed, excited at the appearance and the amount. "This is great, Kin-chan!" She pulled her headphones off and set them to the side of her dishes, between her and Kotoko.

Kotoko clasped her hands together at chest level. "Kin-chan! Thank you so much! Itadakimasu!" she cried as she broke apart the chopsticks.

"Yes, thanks," Satomi echoed. She looked to her right. "Hey, Kotoko, your plate is wobbling."

Kotoko pushed at it with her chopsticks. "Huh! It sure is! Oh well, it doesn't matter. The food will be gone before too long!" She smiled as she proceeded to stuff her face.

"So Kotoko, are you going to tell us what's going on? Irie-kun didn't seem to like your absence yesterday," Satomi asked as she slurped the soup.

"Now don't tell anyone else," Kotoko leaned forward, rocking her unsteady plate, "but I'm going to be an action figure!"

Her friends stared at her, speechless for a few seconds. "What kind of 'action' are you getting, Kotoko?" asked Jinko, while Satomi sat wide-eyed.

Kotoko chased a piece of meat across the dish as she answered. "It's going to be for Aoki-kun and Tanaka-kun's Kotorin video game." As usual, the off-color question went completely over her head.

"Oh, I get it—toys!" Satomi reached in front of Kotoko and shoved Jinko's plate. "Get your mind out of the gutter! Remember who we're talking about!"

Jinko bent over, knocking her hand against her headphones. "So does that mean that there will be little Kotokos all over Tokyo soon?"

"Well, not right away, but sometime next year."

"So, how does Irie-kun feel about all the fanboys owning you?"When Kotoko ducked her head, Satomi dropped her can of coffee onto the table and fumbled around to keep it from spilling. "He doesn't know?!"

"You see, it's a little embarrassing." She moved her rice bowl to the front, shifting the dishes. "I, that is, the figure will be wearing the costume from the movie…"

"Wait a minute—that costume…" Jinko slammed her fist down.

"…is just a swimsuit. Yes, it looks like I'm a gravure model."

"So, are you telling us that you strip down for photographers and wear _that_?"

"No, no," Kotoko's hands waved in denial. "They just scan my face to make it look like me. The body is made up."

Satomi laughed, "It's just as well. This way your boobs can be bigger, right?"

Kotoko broke off her snarl when her phone warbled. "Wait, I have a call coming in. Oh, it's from the agent that Pandai assigned. Hello, Dylan-san! Here, you guys, eat some of mine," she said as she shoved the plate away.

"Don't mind if I do," Jinko said as she and Satomi dug in, dueling for the best portions.

"What do you mean I have to go in again? Oh, a tie-in with the game? Can't they use the other scan? No? It has to be full body this time?"

Jinko spewed food across the table. "Kotoko's taking her clothes off?!"

"Quiet!" shushed Satomi. "I want to hear this!"

"Yes, I understand. It's part of the job. Right, Saturday, at the Jinnan Building. I'll meet you there at 2:00. Bye-bye!"

"Well?!" Kotoko's two friends leaned towards her.

"They want to add a limited release bonus figure for game pre-orders." She smiled weakly. "It will be smaller, like a statue, so they have to scan all of me this time. Plus since it will be molded in one piece, I have to wear the...costume."

"Man, oh man. I can see why you'd want to keep _this_ a secret from your boyfriend." Jinko hugged her in sympathy.

Satomi's eyes widened. "Wait! Weren't you supposed to have a date this Saturday?"

Kotoko's face took on an expression of panic. "What am I going to do if I made a good grade? After all these years of just getting by, how can I pray to fail a test?"

"Don't worry, Kotoko!" Jinko slapped her on the shoulder. "Just tell him you don't feel well, and sneak out."

"Yes! Tell him it's that time of month. Men panic whenever you mention that. I used it a lot in middle school to get out of class," mused Satomi.

"Hey!" Jinko exclaimed as she put her headphones around her neck. "Can you believe that my American heavy metal station has been playing all along?"

* * *

"What the—! That damn Gintaro—he told me that the cracked case wouldn't affect the recording. There's so much static! Where's some paper and a pencil? I'll see if I can write it down and make sense of it."

* * *

Kinnosuke's eyes were wild as he ran across the campus. He caught sight of his quarry and took off, waving his arms. "Irie! Irie! Goddamn, you bastard, turn around!"

Naoki looked over his shoulder. "Ikezawa? What do you want with me?"

"You've got to come with me, man!" The young cook bent forward, hands on his knees, panting from the exertion. "Kotoko's in trouble!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you seriously telling me that you bugged my girlfriend's conversation with her friends?"

Kinnosuke gritted his teeth. "Girlfriend!" he spat. "As if you deserve her! Because you aren't taking care of her, she is being swept away into a life of degradation!"

Stifling a laugh, Naoki answered, "I don't think Kotoko even knows what that means, much less has the ability or inclination to do so. What with being so busy with class and tennis and her nerd makeovers…"

"I'm tellin' ya! Those guys are the ones who led her into this! I made notes… but just listen to it yourself!" He held out an mp3 player, then dug around in his pocket for a tangled set of earbuds. "Here! We don't want this to get all over campus if we can help it!" he whispered, eyes shifting from side to side.

Naoki raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped an earbud before placing it in his ear. After listening for a few seconds, he pressed pause and asked, "What is all that interference?"

"Oh, well, I borrowed the bug from a friend and the case was already cracked. And then I stuck it to the bottom of Kotoko's plate and whenever it moved or she used her chopsticks, it drowned out their voices." His face took on a puzzled expression. "I don't know what's with the sudden bursts of violent music every now and then, though. Look!" He shoved a piece of paper at him. "Here's what I wrote down. You can follow along."

With a skeptical look Naoki took it and resumed playback. His face took on a serious cast as he continued to listen. He even replayed it after hearing it through the first time. "You know, Ikezawa," he began after removing the ear bud, "there were blanks and a lot of static there. I don't know what the conversation was about, but I doubt that it is as dire as you have concluded."

Kinnosuke pounded both fists onto the bench where they were sitting. "Yes, it is! It's bad, _bad_ , BAD!" He snatched the paper back. "Where is it? See," he pointed, "she's been working as a gravure model. With body makeup, even! But now I think they are forcing her to do unseemly things."

"How does your brain come up with ideas like this?" asked Naoki wearily.

"Here! Here! It says that she's getting a lot of action and her boobs are getting bigger and there will be little Kotokos all over Tokyo! Aargh! She's pregnant!" He stopped suddenly and glared at the other man. "Is it yours?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but our relationship hasn't progressed that far," he answered stiffly. "In addition there's the matter of timing and the fact the humans don't have litters…"

"Well, it's too late now. She won't even tell you about this, and now she is going to break a date with you to model in the nude! Why, _why_ , WHY, Kotoko, didn't you choose me?!"

After knocking himself several times in the forehead with his knuckles, Naoki snatched the paper from him. "How in the _hell_ did you come up with those conclusions? You're taking these sentence fragments totally out of context and out of order. If I used this kind of logic I could prove that the sky is green, that up is down, and that Japan is attached to the mainland!"

"How can you be so cold-blooded? This is absolute proof that these Anime Animals—I never liked 'em anyway—have forced her into some sort of...depraved skin business! Our innocent Kotoko has been shamed! Oh, no!" His voice was aghast. "There will be lewd pictures of her displayed all over town!" He clutched his hair with both fists. "I tried to pull down all those video posters but there's no way that I can save her this time! Tokyo is too big and I can't buy them all!" He spun to face Naoki and clutched his jacket. "Your family's rich! They can buy off these villains!"

"Please," Naoki removed his hands, "relax. Kotoko's not that kind of girl. This is all a big misunderstanding."

"No!" Kinnosuke stood and glared down at him. "You just can't be bothered to look after her! _I_ would have protected her!" He thumped his fist to his chest.

"Wait a minute!" Naoki rose as well, and a keen observer could have told by the little tic at the corner of his eye that his anger was rising. "Kotoko is not in danger and I'll prove it."

"How?!" howled Kinnosuke.

After pondering a moment, Naoki chuckled smugly and said, "She's not going to miss out on a date with me."

"You arrogant asshole—!" Kinnosuke fumed, then his face screwed up in thought. "But you're right. Hey," he leaned in to grab Naoki's jacket again, but was forestalled by the other's arm blocking him, "if she cancels, will you admit that something's going on?"

Naoki considered it briefly. "Okay," he nodded in agreement. "That sounds reasonable, although not probable."

"All right!" He rubbed his hands together. "If that happens, we'll stake out that place and see what's going on!"

"Sure, sure," Naoki agreed. "But I wouldn't hold my breath, if I were you."

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Naoki." Kotoko lay under the covers, eyes closed, a hot water bottle on her abdomen.

"It's all right." He stroked her bangs away from her face. "You just rest awhile. Do you need any more ibuprofen?"

"No…no," she answered, voice wavering.

He kissed her gently on her exposed forehead. "We'll have the celebration date another time. I'm going to the library to study so you can have peace and quiet. I'll put a sign on your door to keep Mom out."

A tear slid down one cheek. "Thank you, Naoki."

He stood still in the hall after he closed the door behind him, leaning on it a bit. As he walked to his room, he pulled his phone from his pants pocket. "Ikezawa. Irie here. You win. Let's meet at the station nearest the Jinnan Building at 1:30 this afternoon."

* * *

"So, Kotoko, did he buy the story?" asked Satomi on the train.

"Yes," she sighed in response. "I hated lying to him."

"Why aren't you telling him anyway?" wondered Jinko. "Isn't getting work like this a good thing? I mean, you _are_ helping make money for his family's business, after all."

"Yes, but last month when he went in after class to job shadow at Pandai he didn't seem to enjoy himself. I would ask him, Obasama would ask him, Ojisama would ask him, and he would never say a whole lot about it. Sort of growled, actually. It was almost as if he was enduring that time with his father."

"But there's no big hurry for Naoki to start work and take over for him, is there?" asked Jinko.

"Right, Mr. Irie is only a little older than my father," Satomi added.

"No, I don't think so," Kotoko answered, "but I just have this feeling that Naoki's heart isn't in it. His dad really wants him to enjoy the work if he takes over, since he built the business himself."

Jinko snorted. "It's a good thing your father doesn't have the same feelings about _his_ business."

"What?" Kotoko looked at her blankly.

"C'mon, Kotoko," Satomi gently shook her arm. "We've eaten your cooking."

"Or your _attempts_ at cooking!" cracked Jinko. "You'd run the restaurant into the ground faster than you can say 'gochiso sama deshita'."

"Of course Kin-chan thought he had the solution to that problem," Satomi reminded them. "If you and Irie-kun didn't work out, he had all these plans to marry you and take over the business."

"Silly!" said Kotoko. "As if I ever had feelings like that for him!"

"Anyway, thanks for letting us tag along today." Satomi scooted closer to Kotoko. "So tell us more about this new scan you're having."

"Remember, the other scans were just of my face," Kotoko explained. "They were making up my body, _including my boob size_ ," she glared at Satomi, "but this one is even smaller with no moving parts."

"Moving parts?" Jinko's face sported a puzzled look.

"The 6-inch figures have—what did they tell me?—14 points of arto-artic—moving parts!" She held her arms out and moved her elbows stiffly to demonstrate. "Mine will be sold individually and the three Smashketeers will be sold in a multi-pack."

"That's a good move," pointed out Satomi. "A lot of the male fans might not want figures of the boys."

"It's a shame, since the whole idea of Kotorin was theirs," frowned Kotoko. "Not only that, but Pandai is making more of mine than theirs, so I'm a little embarrassed at all the attention. Plus, they are making a 9-inch figure only of _me_ , not the guys. That one will have real hair and a cloth costume. Although they said some people don't call that an action figure but a doll…" she trailed off.

"To-may-to, to-mah-to," Jinko waved her hand in dismissal. "But with removable clothes, I can see the fanboys nose-bleeding over that already!" Satomi tugged her hair to shut her up when Kotoko tilted her head at her in puzzlement.

"So this full-body scan today," Satomi urged, "does it take long?"

"Oh, no! I just have to stand still for a few seconds while these cameras take pictures of me from all angles. We're going to a different place than before because this was somebody's last-minute idea. This company does it all the time for everyday people, but we're going to order a few thousand more than normal. I don't know how many exactly, but the cut-off date is—"

"Wait," Jinko interrupted. "You mean anyone can walk in off the street and get an action figure made of themselves?"

"Weren't you listening?" Satomi snapped at her. "This is just a little statue, there's no 'action' about it. None of those 'points-of-whatever' Kotoko was talking about!"

"Yeah, but wow! I'd love to have one," Jinko enthused.

"Well, why don't both of you have one made too?" Kotoko grasped a hand of each of them. "It will be my treat, since I'm the one getting paid for it!" The girls proceeded to discuss poses for their figures until the train reached the station.


	4. Chapter 4

The two young men who arrived at the tall building, although both attractive in their own way, could not have differed more in their actions. While one sprinted about in an uncoordinated, jerky fashion, pausing occasionally to conceal himself behind shrubbery and city art, the other calmly strolled into the ground floor of the building and studied the tenant list. Every now and then he would refer to his cell phone as if doing research. Their paths united again when a trio of young women approached, arm in arm, laughing together. The one who had believed himself to be keeping covert watch for the arrivals burst through the door, grabbed the other and hustled him across the lobby and around a corner.

"What do you think you are doing? Baka!" Naoki pushed to break Kinnosuke's hold on him.

"Irie! Irie! They're coming! Look!" Both of them peered around the corner as Kotoko led Satomi and Jinko through the door, cell phone at her ear.

"You needn't make such a commotion about it," Naoki hissed at his companion. "I think I know…"

"Aww!" Kinnosuke moaned. "Are those two going to follow Kotoko down a sinful path and join the skin trade?!"

"Relax, it's not like…"

"Look!" Kinnosuke pointed toward the elevators. Naoki pulled his arm down and tugged him a little farther out of sight.

"Hullo, Kotoko darling!" A handsome young man, with light brown hair and appearing to be only part Japanese, emerged from one. Dressed in a soft open-throated shirt, a diamond twinkled from one earlobe as he pulled Kotoko into a quick hug. Jinko and Satomi giggled together, impressed with his looks and manner. "And who might these two beauties be?" he asked, turning a megawatt smile their way.

"See! See! There he is! That devil! Why I oughta—"

Again Naoki pulled him back. "Just a few months ago you were calling _me_ a devil and now you've asked me for help. I think—no, I'm sure—that you're jumping the gun." He stuck his head a little farther around the corner. "Even though I don't like his hands on my girlfriend…"

"Sure we can do that for you! And by all means, just call me Dylan like Kotoko does," he smiled as he bowed the girls onto the elevator. "Kotoko, be a dear and press the button for floor 7, won't you?"

Kinnosuke leaped out of the hiding place, jumping from one foot to another in frenzy. "Did you see that? They are going to get caught in the coils of the serpent! We've got to save them, Irie!" He sprinted to the bank of elevators and pressed the up button repeatedly.

Naoki strolled in his wake. "Again, you've gone off half-cocked, but," he paused to look at the overexcited chef, "there's no stopping you, is there?" He sighed. "I might as well try to minimize the amount of trouble that you're about to get into."

Kinnosuke rushed in before the sliding doors were completely open. "What floor was it?! What floor?! Dammit! I'm so upset that I forgot!" Naoki reached over and pressed 7. "Irie!" he grabbed his upper arm with both hands. "Thank Buddha, you're a genius! You're the best!"

Oh. My. God. Naoki rolled his eyes. "I wish I had a witness to this," he thought.

No one was in sight when the elevator doors opened on the seventh floor. Kinnosuke's head turned swiftly from side to side. "Where? Where?"

Naoki unhurriedly read the directional signs, grabbed him by the arm and led him off to the left. "I feel like my IQ points are sucked away whenever I'm around you," he complained.

As they turned the corner they spied their quarry disappearing into an office. The pneumatic door remained open long enough for them to catch the conversation.

"Do you ladies want to do the shots today or come back at another time?" they heard the man identified as Dylan ask.

"Can we decide after we see Kotoko's session?" Satomi responded.

"Certainly! I'll take care of your paperwork while Kotoko changes."

"Oh! Do you have my new costume, Dylan-san?" asked Kotoko.

Naoki and Kinnosuke reached the slowly closing door just in time to see Dylan hand over an extremely small bag to Kotoko.

"No-o-o-o-o!" howled Kinnosuke as he launched himself towards the man.

"No!" echoed Naoki as he leapt to tackle Kinnosuke. However, Kinnosuke's superior jump propelled both of them into the startled Dylan and all three ended up entangled on the floor. Kotoko stood frozen in shock, the bag covering the lower part of her face, while Jinko and Satomi clutched each other together and stared.

Naoki managed to roll off Kinnosuke. "Imagine meeting again like this, Saeki-sensei. You've transferred back to the Tokyo office, I see."

Still shaken from having the air forced out of his lungs, Dylan shook his head and then focused on the speaker. "Ah, Naoki-kun! But why—?"

Kinnosuke had recovered his breath as well and now gripped the older man by his open shirt lapels. "It's not going to happen! I will save these girls myself! Run! Run!" When they didn't move he looked up at them in confusion then turned his head and shouted, "Irie, make them go! I'll handle this pervert!"

With four people addressing him at once, this time he at least had good reason to look confused.

"Ikezawa, you really have the wrong id…"

"Kin-chan, what are you doing to Dylan-san?"

"You idiot!"

"Typical Kin-chan!"

Dylan leaned back on his elbows and smiled at the man gripping him so tightly. "Well, normally I'm not into rough stuff, but you're cute enough that I'm willing to make an exception."

"Huh?!" Kinnosuke's mouth dropped open.

"Kin-chan!" Kotoko tugged at his arm. "Dylan-san is the one who is arranging for my Kotorin modeling. He works for Pandai!"

"Pa-Pandai? Kotorin?" His friends hadn't thought that Kinnosuke could look any more at sea, but apparently he had hit a new low—or high, as the case might be.

"Yes, I'm going to be an action figure," she explained slowly so that he could understand.

"Action figure?"

"Another thing of yours for him to obsessively collect," Naoki muttered.

"You mean, he's not trying to trick you into doing hentai things?" he asked, still not getting it.

"Darling," interposed Dylan, "adorable as Kotoko is, she really doesn't make my heart race. Now you, however, have quite a bit of potential in that area." He smiled as he grasped Kinnosuke's chin between his finger and thumb.

"Say—what?" One second Kinnosuke was on the ground, Dylan's shirt in a death grip, and the next he was upright, scrambling for the exit.

"What a shame," Dylan sighed. "Maybe next time…" He rose to his feet gracefully. "Now, Kotoko, go change so we can get this out of the way. Your props are in the dressing room. And you young ladies, step right over here."

"Just our luck that he's batting for the other team," complained Jinko.

"Right," agreed Satomi.

* * *

An hour and a half later the girls exited the elevator. Their laughter ceased when they caught sight of Naoki leaning against a pillar. Satomi elbowed Jinko.

"Say, Kotoko!" Jinko said loudly. "Satomi and I are going to head out now. We have to… to…"

"Stop by a store on the way," Satomi burst out.

Kotoko looked confused. "But you didn't say anything earlier…"

"Listen, Kotoko," Jinko tugged her close, "you need to clear the air with Irie-kun."

"Yes," added Satomi. "You've been keeping secrets and that's not good in a relationship."

"O-okay," she agreed and waved them off. She walked over to Naoki and greeted him, eyes on her feet. "Hello."

He sighed and put an arm around her. "I suppose you're hungry. Let's get something before we try to talk this out. Goodness knows, I'd like at least _one_ conversation today to make sense."

* * *

"Why would you think I'd be upset at you helping promote the game?" he asked. "I spent a whole week last month coming up with ideas to market it."

"But you wouldn't talk about what you did, and you acted as if you didn't like whatever you were doing at Pandai," she explained as she spooned sherbet in her mouth. "You never looked happy when you returned in the evening. I even told Kato-kun, Tanaka-kun and Aoki-kun not to talk about it either."

"That's right," he agreed. "I spent half the time figuring out the best way to make my girlfriend's face recognizable in Japan, and _that_ was the most enjoyable part of the week!" He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm just not sure I want to work there when I graduate, and I feel like Mom and Dad are pushing me in that direction. But without an alternate plan, I really don't have a good argument against them. I'd like to have something that I _want_ to do, something that interests me."

"I'm sure your parents would be very happy if you could find that," Kotoko assured him.

"In the meantime," he pinched her nose, "no more secrets, and don't worry about helping out the business in your own way."

"Yes, I promise," she answered. "But if you knew what I was doing, why were you and Kin-chan at that place this afternoon? And don't try to tell me that it was a corn-coincer—that it just happened."

Naoki shook his head ruefully. "I'm afraid that Ikezawa overheard something and jumped to a completely wrong conclusion. For a while I was wondering a little myself, but I knew better than to make a snap judgment after _LAST TIME._ Anyway, I was 70% sure that I had figured it out by the time you girls arrived at the building."

"70%? Is that good?"

He flicked her on the forehead. "Tell your anime pals to start you on remedial math lessons. At any rate, I was absolutely certain that those old farts at Dad's office had adopted my ideas for action figure tie-ins once I saw you with Dylan-sensei."

"Sensei?"

"My English tutor in middle school. His dad worked for Pandai and his mom is American. You ought to feel like a big shot—he handles the celebrity models for the company."

"But, if you knew everything was okay, then why did you follow us up the stairs?" she queried.

"Has anyone ever had any luck holding back Ikezawa when he's on a roll?"

She angled her eyes upward and to the side in thought. "I see your point. And then he tackled poor Dylan-san! But why did he leave so suddenly? I thought that he and Dylan-san were beginning to get along."

He chuckled. "Never mind, Kotoko."

They held hands as they walked to the train station.

"So it's all right for there to be action figures of me everywhere?" She looked anxiously at him.

"Yes," he ruffled her hair, "as long as I have the original by my side."

* * *

A/N: Sorry, it's over already; this was just a short one. I enjoy the AU story arc that I set up in _Kotoko Volant_ and plan to follow the original manga's storyline for awhile and explore its events with the new premise. The characters and their relationships should develop quite differently, especially if the ideas burbling around in my brain actually work out when written down.

Can you tell that I had fun with the almost-bromance between Naoki and Kinnosuke?


End file.
